Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
14.4.2.1
Sales Force Management
A closer relationship with patients may bring about two positive consequences for
sales force management. First, it may help a firm motivate its sales force. People
value working towards goals they find meaningful and feeling like they work for an
organization with which they can identify (Karlsson et al.
2004
). Being able to
directly interact with patients or at least learn how one's brands can help them live
healthier, more productive and happier lives can be a strong motivator for a sales
rep. Second, closer contact with patients allows the firm to gather valuable informa-
tion about patient needs and preferences, which reps can then share with physicians
and increase the odds that physicians actually accept to meet them.
14.4.2.2
Patient Engagement via Social Media
Customer engagement, defined as all behavioral manifestations from customers
towards a brand or firm that go beyond traditional transaction-based measures, is
important in an increasingly networked society (Verhoef et al.
2010
). The trend
towards patient empowerment and the explosion of health discussions in social
media and web 2.0 unlock new sources of patient-initiated value for firms. In fact,
patients engaged with a brand through online channels and social media create at
least three types of value to the firm beyond transactions (see also Kumar et al.
2010
): (1) patient-to-patient influencer value—when patients recommend a therapy
brand to other patients; (2) patient-to-physician influence value—when patients
actively request or influence the physician to prescribe a specific therapy brand; and
(3) patient knowledge value—when patients contribute with new knowledge and
feedback to firms which can lead to new ideas for innovations and improvements in
a firm's marketing mix. For firms, the key is to identify the most valuable patients,
i.e., those capable of exerting a stronger influence in other patients and physicians
or generating valuable knowledge for the firm. Therefore, research on how patients
(or physicians) learn from the experiences of other patients has wide applicability in
the near future.
An important question is how to identify patients capable of becoming respected
opinion-makers who significantly influence other patients, physicians, and regula-
tors. I have discussed the case of Kristian Anderson and his key role in having a
drug for bowel cancer reimbursed by Australia's PBS. Let me present another
example of an individual POL, Leighann Calentine. Leighann is the founder and
main author of D-Mom Blog (
http://www.d-mom.com/
)
, a weblog where she gives
advice and shares her own experiences on parenting children with Type 1 diabetes.
In her blog, which is followed by hundreds of other parents with diabetic children,
Leighann frequently voices her opinion about different therapies and devices. As of
October 2011, Leighann, who also maintains a regular presence on social media,
had more than 1,500 followers on twitter (@DMomBlog) and approximately 1,300
followers on Facebook (
https://www.facebook.com/dmomblog
)
.
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